Earlier this month, Colbert, in his flamboyant, grandiose onscreen persona, called on readers to rebel against Amazon, which wasn't allowing pre-orders of "California," by first-time novelist Edan Lepucki.

On the Thursday "Colbert Report," the host boasted that his campaign to send readers to the independent bookseller had scored bigtime, with "California" holding down the No. 1 spot on the Powell's bestseller list for a week.

"You pre-ordered just as I pre-ordered you to," Colbert declared, adding that "you heroes" had, as of Thursday, pre-ordered more than 6400 copies of "California."

"You know what would really show Amazon we will not lick their monopoly boot -- or any of their Monopoly pieces?" Colbert continued. "If we put 'California' on The New York Times bestseller list."

Colbert broadened his marching orders this time, suggesting readers could order from Powell's, or such other independent bookstores as novelist Ann Patchett's Parnassus Books, in Nashville; Politics and Prose, in Washington D.C.; or Rainy Day Books, in Fairway, Kansas.